It wasDecember 2016, when I first launched my campaign, Toys For Kids This Christmas Gift-Giving. It was a success and it’s because of the people who have helped me make it possible. It was a very fulfilling thing to do, to be able to give joy to less fortunate kids on one of the most important days of the year, Christmas. I continued my advocacy last year2017too.

Since, Christmas December 2018is fast approaching, I am planning to do it again for the third time. 🙂 I know I can’t do this alone but with your help we can make this possible again. For as low as $1, you can be able to help fund this campaign and become part of it. Just click here: Toys for Kids This Christmas 2018

This very emotional video by German Supermarket Edeka is worth watching..

It tells the story of a lonely father and grandfather whose kids are living all in different parts of the world, and are busy with work and family, cancel on coming home for Christmas at the last minute when they found out their father has passed away. Warning! it can make you cry.. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

If you see people busy preparing to go to church at dawn, children’s caroling every night, people giving and exchanging gifts , party on the streets until morning, many fireworks you can see on the sky anywhere, then, you must be here in the Philippines.

Filipinos celebrate a long Christmas starting from September, where people start decorating and buying Christmas items on which they use to design Christmas trees. “Parols” or lanterns are the most common items Filipinos use to design their houses.

Filipinos are always happy when it’s Christmas Season.

But….,

All of that happiness have already vanished now like the flood which wiped out the lives of children and all of the people who are victims of typhoon Sendong. All livelihoods were also wiped out by the fifteen feet (15 ft.) flash flood. All houses vanished and one (1) sitio or barangay has vanished on the map of the Philippines. Truly, Christmas, is not anymore for the residents of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City as well as Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.

In Iligan City, the logs as a result of illegal logging in the place killed many people. One (1) three (3) year old child was found in between two (2) logs or woods. Almost a thousand people was found dead and many of those were just placed on the dumpsite because funeral parlors have already surrendered accepting dead bodies due to lack of coffin supply. Some coffins were just made of woods and covered by a plastic transparent cover. The government of the said affected cities have decided to do a mass grave burial for all those unclaimed dead bodies BUT still many people are begging the government not to do that because they really want to get the body of their relative, their child, their mother, their father and even their pet.

At this point, residents in the said cities still lacks water and electricity. They also need food, clothing, shelter, medicines, bed sheets and even money. Soldiers here in the Philippines have already donated 3 million pesos for the victims and also they postponed their Christmas party and just packed good and distributed it on the city.

Many other private companies extended their help and also TV Networks like GMA, ABS-CBN, TV5 served as the bridge of those people who wants to help those victims.

Surely, this would serve as a lesson not only for the victims of Typhoon Sendong but also to all of us. We need to take good care of our mother Earth and stop illegal logging. Come to think of it, if there were only many trees still standing, maybe the flood will not be that bad and maybe all the dead people would be lessen.

Now, people in Iligan, Cagayan and other affected cities do not feel anymore the Christmas season because for them, it would be Christmas if no relative, no children , no mother and father are dead. So, what’s the essence of Christmas? It is not the foods we have on our tables during Noche Buenas or even the fireworks display we see on the Sky. The essence of Christmas is to be with your loved ones especially with your family,not harmed, nor sick nor dead.